QUT Multi-Faith Centre

?

To create a destination that accommodates the worship of different faiths, for people to

engage with faith.

Objective

• To provide a space which members of the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Indigenous communities can carry out worship and maintain/consolidate religious identity.

• To provide general spaces for community activities.

• To act as a point of call for members of the general community for spiritual guidance or consultation.

• To act as a resource for learning and development of each of the faiths.

• To complement the environmental and cultural context of an urban university setting and the related activities that occur within it.

• To engage the greater university and urban population.

Who?....users….

Who?....users….

Religious Users

Non- Religious Users

Buddhists, Jews, Indigenous Australians, Muslims

People from other religions, non-believers

QUT staff and students, CBD workers, tourists, school children

Users….needs?

Religious Users

Non- Religious Users

Buddhists, Jews, Indigenous Australians, Muslims

People from other religions, non-believers

Worship, prayer, guidance, ceremonies, festivals

Social gatherings, education, visits, festivals, guidance

how does the Multi-Faith Centre accommodate these users?

how does the Multi-Faith Centre accommodate these users?

how does the Multi-Faith Centre deal with the interaction between the two groups?

1 2

3

1 how does the Multi-Faith Centre accommodate the Religious Users?

…..what does the practice of each faith need?

Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Indigenous Australia

users/flexibility + adaptability/religious requirements/circulation/size

Judaism

general services

Sukkot Branch WavingProcession

Sukkot ProcessionSimchat Torah Procession

Purim Festivals

Mikveh Bath Ritual

Rosh Hashanah Waterside Ritual

Buddhism

Bath house

Seated Meditation

Sukkot ProcessionWalking Meditation

Islam

prayer

ablution

Bazaar markets

Teaching

Indigenous Australia

ceremonies

Story telling

Education

Showers and Storage

Showers and Storage

Expected Usage Timetable

Prayer/ meditation

Prayer and Meditation

Classes

Classroom Bookings

Community Markets

Festivals

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

time 24hr clock

1 3 5 7 9 11 13

prayers

Prayer Times21/ 09/ 07

JUDAISMISLAM

11.2

11.3

11.4

11.5

11.6

11.7

11.8

11.9

12

12.1

time

AUGUST DECEMBER APRIL

month

I slam and Jewishmidday prayer time synchronicity

JUDAISMISLAM

Analysis- similar spaces…

Islamic Prayer Hall

Islamic Bazaar Space

Jewish Prayer Hall

Islamic Ablution Area

Jewish Purim Festival Space

Jewish Mikveh BathShower Spaces for

Indigenous Performers

Buddhist Bath House

Buddhist Meditation

Buddhist Walking Meditation

Indigenous Ceremonies

Indigenous Story Telling

Indigenous Education

Islamic TeachingJewish Roshanah Water Ritual

Islamic/Jewish Prayer Halls

Internal Spaces, Similar Circulation and Movement, Similar Scale, Religious Artefacts

clashing of usage times

SEPARATE SPACES

Bazaar Space/Purim Festival Space

open plan areas, similar circulation and movement patterns, presence of stalls, market/festival atmosphere

no clashes in usage times

MERGED SPACES

Buddhist Seated Meditation/Buddhist Walking Meditation/Indigenous Ceremony Space/Jewish Rosh Hashanah Ritual

no clashes in usage times

Open, undefined boundaries, connection with nature, similar scale

Different circulation and movement patterns

Occasional usage time clashes

ADJACENT SPACES

Indigenous Story Telling/Indigenous Education/Islamic Education

open plan areas, similar circulation and movement patterns, similar scales- small groups, functional similaritiesno clashes in usage times

MERGED SPACES

Islamic Ablution Area/Jewish Mikveh Bath/Buddhist Bathhouse/Indigenous Showers

occasional clashes in usage times

Enclosed area, visual restrictions, similar scale, transitional spaces, similar circulation and movement patterns, need for washing facilities

ADJACENT SPACES

Spatial Organisation

1

2

3

4

5

Islamic/Jewish prayer areas

Washing/Ablution spaces

Bazaar/festival areas

Outdoor Buddhist/Indigenous Areas

Education/Teaching Areas

Relative Sizes

Approximate populations according to demographic information

Sizes of worship areas to be decided accordingly

2 how does the Multi-Faith Centre accommodate the non-Religious Users in this local environment?

…..what does the surrounding community need?

university students, tourists, CBD workers, school children

users/local environment/flexibility + adaptability/size

Social spaces

Onlooking, observing of religious festivals

Information of each faith/Education

Participation in festivals

Chaplaincy

Lectures/conferences

Appreciation of the Spiritual

Requirements of General Public

3how does the Multi-Faith Centre deal with the interaction between the two groups?

…..how do we foster an engagement between the non-religious community and the religious community? What else could we achieve? Could we facilitate some interaction between each of the faiths?

flexibility + adaptability/circulation/local environment/ Architectural Design Requirements

Religious Area

General Area

QUT

sitting, gathering, socialising

listening to discussions

observing religious rituals/festivals

appreciating the spiritual

information from various faithsChaplaincy centre

Lecture/conference area

Open outdoor area for indigenous

Link to gardens Prayer spaces for Islam, Jewish followers

Meditation Area for Buddhists

Public Plaza//HEART of the Centre

Social space

Administration area and Chaplaincy above

HEART of the Centre, where interaction occurs

General population engaged by the Social Space

Religious areas

A connection to the Natural Landscape should always be maintained through some corridor to the Gardens

Architectural Design Requirements

• A central part of the brief is that the architectural qualities of the space formed by the Multi-Faith Centre must inspire a sense of the transcendence-– Such language ought to be derived from

qualities of established spiritual spaces

• The following three panels are stimulus that ought to be followed when creating place in the Multi-Faith Centre

Overall View!

• A central public plaza as the heart of the Multi-Faith Centre

• Differentiation between areas for religious purposes and areas for general community use

• General use – attract and engage the general local population

• Religious use – distinguished enough that the worship spaces are

distinctly sacred. – Open with strong connection to heart– Flexible, may be converted for conferences/seminars

social space// to attract university students and CBD workers to socialise and meet there, and also to allow them to observe the religious activities occurring, to listen in on the educational discussions

public plaza//

social space + open arena

open arena// spill over area for religious festivals, markets, Indigenous story telling, religious education discussions, facilitates discussions between religions Islamic prayer hall//

prayer mats, Quibla wall, prayer mat storage, furnished according to islamic requirements

Jewish prayer hall//Ark, Torah Scrolls, Bimah, Eternal Light, religious artefact storage, potential to be converted into a conference/seminar space, a connection to the outdoors for rituals

Buddhist prayer area//subtly defined open space connected to the outdoors, furnished according to Buddhist tradition, accommodates both seated and mobile meditation

Indigenous ceremony area//Outdoor area to accommodate Indigenous ceremonies, fires etc., little architectural intervention, Indigenous people to define their own zone

Chaplaincy//

space strongly connected to the central public plaza, yet private and separated enough for individuals

Administration//a space for the chaplain’s office and other staff